When Chen Xihua and Chen Xiaoliu arrived at the "Bubugao" private room at Yangqing Hotel, the Chen family members were already inside.
The private room contained a large round table that could seat fifteen or sixteen people.
Grandpa and Grandma Chen, beaming with joy, sat at the head of the table.
Mr. and Mrs. Chen, whose expressions were relatively calm, sat on the left.
Next up is Chen Penghua and his family of three, who also didn't seem very happy.
Chen Tingting, who is only one or two years old, has a funny and curious expression on her face.
Next up was Aunt Chen, who had a joyful expression on her face.
On the right are Chen Lao Er and Li Yumei, as well as the eldest and fourth sisters.
Chen Lao Er's face showed the most obvious pride and joy. He was wearing a brand new white shirt, tucked into his black trousers, and a brand new leather belt with a gleaming silver buckle.
Li Yumei's face was also beaming with pride, and the corners of her mouth kept turning up.
At first glance, the atmosphere seemed quite harmonious.
Upon seeing Chen Xihua and Chen Xiaoliu walk in, Chen Lao Er immediately stood up and looked at the two with a hearty laugh.
"Xiao Wu, Xiao Bao, come quick, come quick, we've been waiting for you."
After Chen Xihua and Grandpa Chen sat down, he began to speak in a rare, kind and gentle tone.
"Xiuhua, Xihua, you two are excellent. You are both top female scorers in the college entrance examination, bringing honor to our Chen family."
"Yes, she's the top female scholar in the country! This is a great honor for our family. Our Chen family has never had such a joyous occasion before."
Who in the county doesn't know about the Chen family now?
People in the family quarters now call me "the top scorer's dad".
Just now, everyone we met downstairs at the hotel knew we were the top scorer's family members; we're really prestigious.
The county, city, and provincial capital governments awarded Xiao Wu and Xiao Si a total of eight to ten thousand yuan each as a form of encouragement.
Parents, as the grandparents of the top scorer in the college entrance examination, you should have made some preparations, right? Of course, it doesn't need to be as much as eight or ten thousand, three or four thousand will be enough.
And brother, you're the uncle of a top scorer in the college entrance exam, a thousand or two is fine, don't be too polite.
Little sister, you're a married woman, so you can order whatever you like. Five hundred or a thousand is just a token of your appreciation.
After Grandpa Chen finished speaking, Chen Lao Er immediately chimed in, speaking as if it were a serious matter, talking to himself.
He showed no sign of stopping, speaking one sentence after another, at a leisurely pace.
But before anyone could react, Chen Lao Er said the next sentence, as if he had prepared a draft.
After he finished speaking, he stared intently at them.
"Pfft... Ugh," Chen Xiaoliu couldn't help but laugh out loud, but Chen Xihua quickly covered his mouth with her hand.
His face turned bright red, but inside Chen Xihua was laughing hysterically. His father was here to make people laugh, and he certainly didn't disappoint.
Chen Chunhua and Chen Xiuhua also subconsciously covered their mouths, lowered their heads, and pursed their lips, not laughing out loud.
"Second brother, isn't one or two thousand a bit too much?" Uncle Chen looked troubled. His second brother was asking for an exorbitant amount; who could possibly offer several thousand yuan?
He had prepared two red envelopes, each containing 100 yuan, which he considered a huge sum of money.
Normally, the red envelopes given during Chinese New Year are only two or five yuan.
Uncle Chen thought that, after all, they were his nieces. If they graduated from school and got good jobs, they might be able to help his two sons.
"Second brother, what nonsense are you spouting? As your own grandparents, we will definitely give you a reward."
But it's not safe for young girls to carry three or four thousand yuan on their bodies, so we'll give each of them two hundred for now.
Grandpa Chen, who had been beaming with joy, almost couldn't contain himself and was about to unleash a torrent of abuse on him.
This second son is really something, so reckless. If it weren't for the inappropriate situation, he would have slammed his fist on the table.
"Second brother, yes, I've prepared red envelopes of five hundred yuan each for Xiao Wu and Xiao Si. I definitely have to support our Chen family's nieces' education." Aunt Chen said proudly and smugly.
She thought that this time she should be able to leave a good impression at her second brother's house.
Actually, she felt a pang of regret when she handed over the money, but she thought about how she would still have to rely on her family in the future.
Although she still has her son Hao'an, her two nieces are both top scorers in the college entrance examination, and their future prospects are immeasurable.
"Either is fine. It may be a little less, but it's the thought that counts."
"Little Wu, Little Si, quickly thank your grandparents, uncles, and aunts." Chen Lao Er smiled broadly. He didn't really care about the amount of money, since Little Wu had money anyway.
But this money is too good to pass up.
Having carefully managed her facial expressions, Chen Xihua/Chen Xiuhua stood up, smiled slightly, and politely thanked everyone: "Thank you everyone!"
An hour later, after dinner, the Chen family dispersed. This time, Chen Penghua and Li Xiaoling ate in silence throughout the entire meal.
When they left, Chen Xihua and Chen Xiuhua each had three extra red envelopes, totaling eight hundred yuan.
Chen Xihua doesn't look down on small amounts of money just because she's rich. In fact, her thinking is similar to Chen Lao Er's: she can take it openly and generously.
Furthermore, for an ordinary family, the sum of three red envelopes is quite substantial, equivalent to a month's salary for a white-collar worker.
——
The next morning at eight o'clock, Chen Xihua and Chen Chunhua prepared to set off for Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.
Actually, Chen Xihua had wanted to go there for a long time. She thought that even if she didn't have any business there, she would still buy one or two houses there.
The current housing price in Shenzhen is around 5,000 to 6,000 yuan per square meter, and a house of about 100 square meters would cost 500,000 to 600,000 yuan.
In two years, the price won't be this high. Within five years, it will basically skyrocket to 10,000 to 20,000 yuan per square meter. At that point, you should hurry up and buy a unit.
"Fifth Sister, can't Fourth Sister and I come along? We're driving anyway." Chen Baohua pouted, looking unhappy. His eyes were a little red, and he looked very reluctant, pitiful, as he unwillingly saw Chen Xihua and the other sister off.
"Chen Xiaoliu!" Chen Xihua's voice was calm, but the other three could tell that she was a little unhappy.
“Xiao Bao, your older sister and Xiao Wu aren’t going on vacation this time; they have business to attend to. We’re just going back and forth in the car with them. We’ll have to wait until next time.” Chen Xiuhua quickly pulled Chen Baohua back, telling him not to throw a tantrum.
"Okay, Fifth Sister, Eldest Sister, then you two need to be careful, okay?" Chen Baohua stopped pretending and earnestly gave her instructions.
How could he not know that his fifth sister was a little unhappy? But he just wanted to go along, in case his fifth sister softened and took him with her.
"Study calligraphy well with Teacher Qin." Chen Xihua patted Chen Xiaoliu on the shoulder and left.
Hmph, Chen Xiaoliu is getting more and more cunning. She uses all sorts of tricks and acts. Trying to outmaneuver her, even begging and rolling around won't work.
——
The journey from Nan Province to Guang Province by normal driving on the national highway takes twelve hours. However, Chen Chunhua drives slowly, so it should take thirteen or fourteen hours, with frequent stops for rest along the way.
Moreover, the Chen sisters would definitely not travel at night.
At 6 p.m., the two of them stopped to rest at a roadside service area.
At noon on July 31, Chen Xihua and Chen Chunhua finally arrived in Guangzhou.
"Big sister, we'll stop in Guangzhou for a day and then head to Shenzhen tomorrow." Chen Xihua looked outside and saw that most people in Guangzhou, except those rushing to work, walked slowly and leisurely.
There were also many public phone booths along the roadside, and many billboards advertising "Metro Line 1 in full operation".
"Okay, Xiao Wu, I'll find a hotel to park right away." Chen Chunhua didn't dare to speak while driving. At that moment, they were at an intersection, and the light was red.
"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, look across the street, isn't that Chen Jianhua?" Chen Chunhua's voice was a little excited and strange.
"Let me see, it's him, my God, this is truly mind-blowing." Chen Xihua looked to her left and saw Chen Jianhua walking with his arm around the shoulder of a young, pretty woman, chatting and laughing.
That woman was clearly not Wang Xiaoling.
Two days ago, while having dinner at Yangqing Hotel, she heard Grandma Chen happily say: Wang Xiaoling is pregnant and will give birth soon. She hopes she will have a big, healthy boy.
Now, Grandpa and Grandma Chen have happily accepted Chen Jianhua and his wife.
They comforted themselves by thinking that no matter whether the child took the surname Chen or Wang, he would still be a child of the Chen family.
In the future, the Wang family's money will likely belong to the children.
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